Machine for gaging metal balls.



J. J. MclNTYRE & C. KOEHLER.

MACHINE FOR. GAGING METAL BALLS.

APPLICATION HLED AUG.20. I917- Patented Mar. 19, 1918.

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w m H W J J. J. MclNTYRE & C. KOEHLER.

MACHINE FOR meme METAL BALLS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20,1917- 1,260,223, Patented Mar. 19, 1918.

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JOHN J. MODTTYRE, OF HARTFORD, AND CHARLES KOEHLER, OF WATERBUBY, CONNECTICUT.

MACHINE FOR GAG-ING METAL BALLS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 19, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN J. MCINTYRE, a'citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, Connecticut, and CHARLES KOEH- LER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Waterbury, Connecticut, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Gaging Metal Balls, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to those machines which are provided for gaging metal balls, that is, for automatically separating from an accumulation and collecting together those balls which are of exact size, those which are under size and those which are over size.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and easily controlled machine which can be adjusted so as to rapidly automatically separate balls of various sizes and collect together those of the same size.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a plan of a machine which embodies the invention. Fig. 2 shows a central vertical section of the machine. Fig. 3 shows a plan of the adjustable gage bars. Fig. 4 shows a section of troughs which maybe located beneath the gage bars for collecting together balls of the same size.

The machine has a receptacle 1 in which an accumulation of balls, that may vary but a few thousandths of an inch from each other, are deposited. The receptacle may be supported in a fixed position by any suitable form of bracket. An opening 3, approximately the size of one ball, is made through the bottom 4 of the receptacle. A conical deflecting plate 5 is arranged in the receptacle to direct the balls toward the outer edge of the bottom. This deflector is fastened to a rotatable shaft 6 which has its upper end retained in a bearing 7 in a spider 8 near the top of the receptacle. The lower end of the shaft is retained in a bearing 9 in the top of the bed 10. Fastened on t e lower end of this vertical shaft is a worm wheel 11 which. is engaged by a worm 12 on a horizontal shaft 13 that is mounted in hearings in the bed and that on its outer end has a driving pulley 14.

Beneath the fixed receptacle is a rotatable plate 15 which near its periphery has a number of elongated radially extending perforations 16 that when the plate is rotated pass beneath the opening 3 in the bottom of tl' e receptacle. This plate is fastened to the vertical shaft and is supported by anti-friction bearings 17 between the top of the bed and the bottom of the plate. An antifrction thrust bearing 18 is arranged between the spider bcaring and the upper end of the shaft. On the top of the bed near one side and below the rotatable plate are gage bars 19 and 20, the former being secured in place by set screws 21 and the latter being secured in place by set screws 22 and adjusting screws 23. The opposing sides of the gage bars are preferably shaped to form knife edges. Below the opening between the gage bars and an opening through the top of the bed are'inclined troughs 24, 25 and 26.

The age bars are adjusted and fixed with their opposing knife blade edges oblique with relation to each other and with the narrowest part of the opening between the edges of the gage bars near the ball open- 1 in through the bottom of the hopper. The ba Is, one at a time, drop through the opening in the bottom of the hopper into the radial slots in the rotating plate as the slots pass beneath the opening, and they are carried by the walls of these slots, as the plate rotates, along the opening between the gage bars until they reach the point where the opening between the bars is equal to their diameter then they drop between the gage bars into the trough beneath. The gage bars may be adjusted so that when a ball reaches the middle of their length, if it is of exact size it will drop between them into one of the troughs below. With this adjustment a ball that is under size will drop between the gage bars into another trough before it reaches the middle, and a ball that is over size will not drop between the gage bars until it is past the middle where it will drop into still another trough. In this mannor a large number of metal balls which vary in diameter only a few thousandths of with ball carrying slots an inch may be quickly and accurately separated from each other and. all the balls of a given size collected together. The gage bars may be adjusted for balls of any iven approximate diameter within the limits of the machine, and they may be set to gage coarsely or finely by varying the angular relation of their opposing edges. Any number of troughs may be arranged beneath the gage bars to collect the balls of exactly same size thus gaged. I

The invention claimed is;

1. A machine for gaging balls having a receptacle for receiving balls with a ball feed opening from the receptacle, gage bars located below the receptacle with an opening between the bars, a collector trough located below the opening between the gage bars, and a rotatable plate with ball carrying slots movable beneath the feed opemng from the receptacle and above the opening between the gage bars, said slots being an ularly arranged with relation to said opening between the gage bars, for carrying the balls fed from the receptacle along the gage bars.

2. A machine for gaging balls having a receptacle for receiving balls with a ball feed opening from the receptacle, gage bars located below the receptacle with an opening between the bars, means for adjusting the gage bars toward and from each other, a collector trough located below the opening between the gage bars, and a rotatable plate movable beneath the feed opening from the receptacle and above the opening between the gage bars, said slots being angularl arranged with relation to said opening etween the gage bars, for carryin the balls fed from the receptacle along t e gage bars.

3. A machine for gaging balls having a receptacle for receivlng balls with a ball feed opening from the receptacle, a rotatable deflector in the receptacle for assisting the feed of the balls, gage bars located below the receptacle with an opening between the bars, a collector trough located below the opening between the gage bars, and a rotatable plate with ball carrying slots movable beneath the feed opening from the receptacle and above the opening between the gage bars, said slots being angularly arranged with relation to said opening between the gage bars, for carrying the balls fed from the receptacle along the gage bars.

4:. A machine for gaging balls having a receptacle for receiving balls with a ball feed opening from the receptacle, a rotatable deflector in the receptacle for assisting the feed of the balls, gage bars located below the receptacle with an openin between the bars, a collector trough located slow the opening between the gage bars, means for adjusting the gage bars toward and from each other, and a rotatable plate with ball carrying slots movable beneath the feed opening from the receptacle and above the opening between the gage bars, said slots being angularly arranged with relation to said opening etween the gage bars, for carrying the balls fed from the receptacle along the gage bars.

5. A machine for gaging balls having a receptacle for receiving balls with a ball feed 0 ening from the receptacle, gage bars located below the receptacle with an opening between the bars, a collector trough located below the opemng between the gage bars, and a horizontally rotatable plate with ball carrying slots beneath the feed opening from the receptacle and above the opening between the gage bars for carrying the galls fed from the receptacle along the gage ars.

6. A machine for receptacle for receiving balls with a ball feed opening from the receptacle, gage bars located below the receptacle with an opening between the bars, and a rotatable plate with radially disposed ball carrying slots beneath the feed opening from the receptacle and above the opening between the gage bars for carrying the balls fed from the receptacle along the gage bars. I

7. A machine for gaging balls having a receptacle for receiving balls with a ball feed opening from the receptacle, gage bars with knife blade opposing edges located below the receptacle with an opening between the bars, a collector trough located below the opening between the gage bars, and a rotatable plate with ball carrying slots movable beneath the feed opening from the receptacle and above the opening between the gage bars, said slots being angularly arranged with relation to said opening between the gage bars, for carrying the balls fed from the receptacle along the gage bars.

8. A machine for gaging balls having a receptacle for receiving balls with a ball feed opening from the receptacle, a rotatable conical deflector in the receptacle for assisting the feed of the balls, gage bars located below the receptacle with an opening between the bars, a collector trough located below the opening between the gage bars, and a rotatable plate with ball carrying slots movable beneath the feed opening from the receptacle and above the opening between the gage bars, said slots being angularly arranged with relation to said opening between the gage bars, for carrying the galls fed from the receptacle along the gage ars. t

9. A machine for gaging balls having a receptacle for receiving balls with a ball feed opening from the receptacle, a rotatable conical d fl c r in h receptacle for assistgaging balls having a.

ing the feed of the balls, gage bars with plate with radial ball carryin slots movknife blade opposing edges arranged tanable beneath the feed opening cm the regentially below the receptacle with an openceptacle and above the opening between the 10 ing between the bars, a collector trough 10- gage bars for carrying the balls fed from 5 cated below the opening between the age the receptacle along the gage bars.

bars, means for adjusting the gage bars JOHN J. MOINTYRE. toward and from each other, and a rotatable CHARLES KOEHLER. 

